This was a feature that I used to do for the Daily Californian’s Arts & Entertainment blog. I decided to give it life again here. At the end of each month, I’ll post a feature highlighting five quality tracks released during that month.
1. Miguel: “Coffee”
Miguel, the smooth-operating soul singer (and force behind one of my favorite songs of the past five years) is releasing a new album soon called Wildheart, and it can’t come soon enough. On lead single “Coffee,” Miguel is completely comfortable in his skin. He sounds cool and confident, but also ardent and passionate.
Miguel could easily sing over any generic beat of the moment and catapult to the top of the charts, just on the strength of his flawless voice. But the thing I love most about him is his excellent taste in production — “Coffee” only furthers this reputation. Like many of his songs, it pushes current R&B boundaries, employing a unique, seamless blend of soul, indie, and arena rock. Miguel said that he “just wanted this album to look and feel and taste like twilight in L.A.” Well, if the whole album sounds like “Coffee,” he succeeded. In the last minute of the song, you can even hear the keyboard and sound effect loops twinkle into the night sky.
I love Beck. I say that about a lot of artists, but I really mean this one. While I was still in my “classic rock is the only acceptable form of popular music” phase, Beck was one of the few post-1980 musicians I actually liked. His breakout hit “Loser” is an all-time favorite. His celebrated follow-up album Odelay was not only great, but introduced Beastie Boys-style sampling to an even broader audience. I love almost everything he’s done, from the funk of 1999’s Midnite Vultures to the muted psychedelia of 2008’s Modern Guilt. He’s a weird, eccentric guy with an extremely diverse catalog, incorporating almost every genre under the sun.
But Morning Phase is not good. Sorry.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that it’s probably his worst album. It didn’t deserve the Grammy for Album of the Year. Let me be clear: it’s not bad. It’s actually quite pleasant, with a few tracks that are undeniably beautiful (“Morning” and “Waking Light” are highlights for me). But stacked up against Beck’s body of work, it’s just incredibly bland.
The inferiority of Morning Phase is especially apparent when you compare it to his 2002 masterpiece Sea Change, which is similarly melancholy, with its slow, swooning songs, sweeping strings, and sad melodies. But Sea Change is impeccably gorgeous. Many heralded Morning Phase as the sequel to Sea Change, which is very true, but instead of maintaining the same quality as its predecessor, it plays like a collection of Sea Change B-sides. Continue reading →
This was a feature that I used to do for the Daily Californian’s Arts & Entertainment blog. I decided to give it life again here. At the end of each month, I’ll post a feature highlighting five quality tracks released during that month.
Time to shake off the doldrums of 2014 and celebrate how good 2015 will be. January was a really solid month, so let’s get right to it.
1. Natalie Prass: “Bird of Prey”
Natalie Prass is a singer-songwriter from Nashville who spent the majority of last year singing backup for Jenny Lewis (formerly of Rilo Kiley). Natalie Prass gives her songs a Dusty Springfield-style wash of luxurious, comforting production, full of strings, muted brass, and a lot of soul. This song has perpetually been stuck in my head for the last week.
I’ve pored over the similarities between the hip-hop royalty duo of Kanye West and Jay-Z and the Miami Heat’s Big 2 of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Then it hit me that, individually, Kanye would be more appropriately compared with Los Angeles Lakers’ veteran Kobe Bryant.
Now, hear me out before you close the page in disgust. Full disclosure: I am a Laker fan — but this is by no means a love letter to Kobe Bryant, or Kanye West for that matter. This is an objective comparison between two influential people, occupying different sides of the entertainment world, but possessing uncanny similarities, both positive and negative. Here are 9 of them.
1. They are despised by a significant portion of the population.
It’s well-documented that Kanye and Kobe are both very polarizing figures. They are accused of having huge egos, while failing to be outwardly friendly or sociable with the media. There are polls and Facebook groups that mince no words in proclaiming hate for Kobe. One blogger from the Hoop Doctors aggregated reasons for this hatred from various emails he had received, pointing to his cockiness, his penchant for trash talking, and self-absorption. Even (or should I say, especially) his hometown of Philly hates him.
If Kobe Bryant’s ego is big though, then Kanye West’s is gargantuan. His lyrics are full of self-aggrandizement and he often says and does really brash and controversial things, such as accusing George Bush of not caring about black people or comparing the hate he receives to that of Hitler.
But these reasons for animosity are all minor when compared to other incidents, which leads me to…
2. They each have one defining moment in their past that solidified the public’s hate.
For Kanye, it was the infamous Taylor Swift incident at the 2009 VMA’s, which even drew a rebuke from the President. For Kobe, it was the charges of rape brought against him in 2003. The charges were eventually dropped, but the scar of infidelity still plagued his image.
I had dreams of the league,
One day I play Kobe,
I walk up to Puff and he already know me,
Coulda let the dream killers, kill my self esteem,
Or use the arrogance as a steam that power my dreams,
And my ego
—Kanye West on Beyonce’s Ego (Remix)
3. They are extremely talented and extremely successful.
Kobe has won five NBA championships, two NBA finals MVPs, one regular season MVP, four All-Star Game MVPs, and two scoring titles. He’s appeared in the All-Star Game 14 times and made the All-NBA first team nine times. He once scored 81 points in a game and ranks fifth all-time in career regular season points scored. In his heyday, he was as athletic as they come, but now has settled into a wily, smart, and insanely competitive player who makes impossible shots and buzzer beaters. He is routinely described as one of the greatest basketball players of all time and often compared to the legendary Michael Jordan. The dude is good.
Kanye has won 18 Grammy awards and 44 Grammy nominations, has sold over 12 million albums and 30 million digital songs, and has had four #1 singles. He has created some of the best jams of the last decade and single-handedly brought a wider audience to hip-hop, through his infectious rapping style and his production genius. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest producers and rappers of all time. The dude is good.
4. Their unique first names both start with ‘K’ and overshadow their nicknames.
The hip-hop world often refers to Kanye West as ‘Ye or Yeezy, and Kobe is called the Black Mamba (no, not the Black Walnut) from time to time, but their first names as they are just roll off the tongue, leading most to simply refer to them as Kobe and Kanye.
5. They were more cheerful at the beginning of their careers than they are now.
Here’s an interesting comparison. Through the first three albums of Kanye’s career, his production work was happy and upbeat. The 2005 single “Touch the Sky” samples Curtis Mayfield’s triumphant “Move On Up” horn lines, which doesn’t induce any emotions besides sheer joy. That’s a fact. And on 2007’s “Good Life,” Kanye raps about loving life over another cheerful beat.
But then things got darker. Kanye’s relationship with his fiancee soured and his mother tragically passed away, leading to 808’s & Heartbreak, an auto-tune soaked lament about heartlessness, paranoia, cold winters, and locking down love. His 2010 masterpiece My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy followed, which marked a return to rapping, but this time with a palette of self-loathing and doubt, on top of creepy (and awesome) beats.
Kobe had a similar shift in attitude, going from a cheerful kid with an easy smile, to somewhat of an angry curmudgeon. In the following interview from the 90’s, the late Chick Hearn says he’s “never seen [Kobe] get angry” and asks him “Do you ever get mad?” Kobe says “I think it’s important not to show your frustrations.” This is laughable now, considering Kobe’s, shall we say, “fierce” demeanor.
Now, for better or worse, he’s a man on a mission, with no time for those easy smiles. Whether it’s a determination to catch Michael Jordan and win his sixth title, or just plain battle-weariness, he is strictly business when he steps on the court.
6. Many of those who hate them on a personal level still respect their work.
President Obama reaffirmed his negative opinion of Kanye West just this month in an article in the Atlantic, but also stated that his fellow Chicago native was smart and talented. And I can’t even count the number of friends who tell me they hate Kobe Bryant, but begrudgingly admit to his level of talent.
7. They have an incredible work ethic.
Kobe Bryant not only brings it for the full 48 minutes, but he works tremendously hard at improving his game in practice. Kanye West is no different, releasing a constant stream of solo albums, collaborations, guest verses, and producing an insane amount of records by other artists.
Tryin’ to get that Kobe number, one over Jordan.
—Kanye West on Swagger Like Us
8. They are both within two degrees of separation from the Kardashians.
Kobe’s longtime friend and former teammate, Lamar Odom, is married to one of them — I don’t know which one and I don’t care. And Kanye, well…yeah.
9. Despite being the best at what they do, they still have something to prove.
Kanye and Kobe were both born with a fierce competitiveness and a chip on their shoulder. By many accounts, they are the best at what they do, but they are constantly seeking to improve in order to shed any doubt. They are never satisfied.
Aaaannnd, there’s my dose of sports for this music blog. I apologize to those that couldn’t care less, but never fear, there is plenty of good music coming out right now that will be fully covered here, devoid of any athlete analogies.
For some reason, Facebook decided by Best Albums of 2011 post broke some kind of copyright, so it (and all of its HTML) got deleted. For those who are interested, here was my list (with a little less pizazz unfortunately).
Did you watch the Grammys? Yeah me neither, but following the live blogs is just as entertaining, if not more so. The big story was Adele’s sweep, winning Album of the Year with her transcendent breakup album 21, and Record of the Year and Song of the Year with 2011 staple “Rolling In the Deep.” Kudos to the Grammys for getting something right, but they’re known to make some pretty laughable choices, and not even so much relating to what they pick as to how they pick them. Let’s go over some of the notable winners–ridiculous, deserving, and otherwise.
BEST NEW ARTIST: Bon Iver
Are you kidding me? Bon Iver made the big time last year with the self-titled Bon Iver, his sophomore album. Key word though: sophomore. Bon Iver’s debut record For Emma, Forever Ago was incredible, one of the best of the last decade. Oh, did I say “last decade?” Yeah, it was self-released in 2007 (before making a wider release the year after). I love the audacity they have to not just nominate him but choose him as the best new artist simply because those fossils finally recognized him. I know I’m belaboring an obvious point, but humor me for a second–take the Shins, for example. They made their last album in 2007, the same year as For Emma. The Shins are finally coming out with a new disc this year and we’re lauding them for “[taking] back their throne”, after “a long hiatus“. If the time between 2007 and now is “a long hiatus,” then I’m baffled as to how Bon Iver, around since 2007, is a new artist. (Btw in my opinion, the award should have gone to Nicki Minaj).
BEST RAP ALBUM: Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Say what you will about Kanye’s persona (Insert “I’mma let you finish” dig here), but the man is a genius. MBDTF rightfully won as the best rap album, but it’s insane that it wasn’t nominated for Album of the Year. Bruno Mars was nominated. Yeah, Bruno Mars. Badly done, Grammys. Badly done.
BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE NOMINATION: The Black Keys – “Dearest”
So actually the winner in this category was a collaboration between the late Amy Winehouse and Tony Bennett, which I haven’t heard and don’t feel like checking out at the moment (no disrespect, I dig me some Amy Winehouse). Actually it’s pretty crazy that it won considering it was going up against “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster the People, “Paradise” by Coldplay, and “Moves Like Jagger” by Maroon 5. Anyway, I just want to direct your attention to the other nominee, The Black Keys’ “Dearest.” It appeared on a tribute album to Buddy Holly called Rave On, featuring covers of Buddy Holly songs from Paul McCartney, Julian Casablancas, Florence + the Machine, Cee-Lo Green, and others, including the Black Keys. I’m surprised and impressed that the Grammys dug this track out of relative obscurity to nominate it because it’s a gem. Check it out below:
OK I’m bored. I was thinking of writing more, but the Grammys are useless anyway. If you’re feeling in the mood to reminisce on the best of this year’s show though, just crack out the Adele, Bon Iver, Kanye, and Foo Fighters and have at it.
D-Brad Music 